Method of creating map data

• US 8,868,335 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2010
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tomtom Polska Sp. Z O.O. (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: Tomtom Polska Sp zoo (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Nowak, Hubert, Gliszczynski, Rafal Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): TESTARDI, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US13/392,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20120209518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,595 Days
• Field of Search: 701/411, 701445-450, 701/451
• US Class Current: 701/450
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/002 Active optical surveying means optical plumbing G01C15/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/40 Hidden part removal
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B

Abstract

A computerised method of creating map data from a plurality of trips where each trip comprises position data derived from the positions of at least one navigation device 200 over a period of time, the method comprising using a processing circuitry to perform the following steps: i. processing the position data; ii. determining from the processing the believed accuracy of the position data constituting a trip; iii. reducing the weight applied to and/or removing position data in which the belief is below a predetermined threshold to generate filtered position data; iv. deriving information about the road 700 based upon the filtered position data; and v. generating further map data.

Claims

1. A computerised method of creating map data, comprising:

processing, using a processor, sets of position data derived from the positions of a plurality of mobile devices moving along a section of road having two or more lanes with same direction of travel, wherein each set of position data comprises a plurality of points representative of the position of a mobile device over a period of time, and wherein the processing of a set of position data comprises;

determining an offset value for each point, the offset value being the distance between the point and a predetermined reference line; and

determining a variance of the offset values for the points in the set;

filtering the sets of position data by removing or reducing the weight applied to sets of position data having a variance above a predetermined value to generate filtered position data, said filtering further comprising comparing altitude information associated with one or more points in the sets of position data to a previously determined height for the one or more points, and removing or reducing the weight applied to sets of position data if the altitude information varies by more than a predetermined amount from the previously determined height;

deriving information about lanes of the road based upon the filtered position data; and

generating map data using the derived information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference line comprises an edge of the road or a mid line of the road.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information about lanes of the road comprises one or more of:

(i) the number of lanes;

(ii) speed data for at least one of the lanes;

(iii) traffic flow data for at least one of the lanes; and

(iv) a class of vehicle that can use one of the lanes.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determination of the speed data occurs in real-time or pseudo real-time.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the determination of the number of lanes is used by an Advanced Driver Assistance System.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the altitude information is associated with a GPS fix.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating probe clusters having means values equal to an offset of a lane associated with the predetermined reference line.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the probe clusters are non-overlapping.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the map data to generate guidance as to the lane of a road in which a driver should position their vehicle.

10. A machine arranged to create map data, comprising at least one processor arranged to:

process sets of position data derived from the positions of a plurality of mobile devices moving along a section of road having two or more lanes with same direction of travel, wherein each set of position data comprises a plurality of points representative of the position of a mobile device over a period of time, and wherein the processing of a set of position data comprises;

determining an offset value for each point, the offset value being the distance between the point and a predetermined reference line; and

determining a variance of the offset values for the points in the set;

filter the sets of position of data by removing or reducing the weight applied to sets of position data having a variance above a predetermined value to generate filtered position data, said filtering further comprising comparing altitude information associated with one or more points in the sets of position data to a previously determined height for the one or more points, and removing or reducing the weight applied to sets of position data if the altitude information varies by more than a predetermined amount from the previously determined height;

derive information about lanes of the road based upon the filtered position data; and

generate map data using the derived information.

11. A non-transitory machine readable medium containing instructions which when read by a machine cause that machine to perform the method of creating map data, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

processing sets of position data derived from the positions of a plurality of mobile devices moving along a section of road having two or more lanes with same direction of travel, wherein each set of position data comprises a plurality of points representative of the position of a mobile device over a period of time, and wherein the processing of a set of position data comprises;

determining an offset value for each point, the offset value being the distance between the point and a predetermined reference line; and

determining a variance of the offset values for the points in the set;

filtering the sets of position data by removing or reducing the weight applied to sets of position data having a variance above a predetermined value to generate filtered position data, said filtering further comprising comparing altitude information associated with one or more points in the sets of position data to a previously determined height for the one or more points, and removing or reducing the weight applied to sets of position data if the altitude information varies by more than a predetermined amount from the previously determined height;

deriving information about lanes of the road based upon the filtered position data; and

generating map data using the derived information.